Masquerade
by xwickedxspiritx
Summary: Sam's got her hands full with her "secret" crush on her best friend, a haunted high school, and simply being a girl. Add a bizarre love triangle, and life gets a whole lot more complicated.
1. Chapter 1

Hey! This is my first DP fanfic, so reviews are doubly appreciated.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, but I do own this particular plotline.

* * *

I could start off this story with a dramatic line, telling of a story filled with tragedy, endless drama, and beautiful romance. But this is my story, and I'm going to tell the truth about how I, Samantha Manson, became the center of the strangest love triangle _I've _ever seen. So get ready to dive in head first, readers, because there's no looking back.

In reality, romance isn't all it's thought up to be. I'm going to say it right here and now, folks; Romeo and Juliet is a whole bunch of crap which is a really sad excuse for a story. If you believed one moment of that corny play, get ready to be slapped in the face. Love isn't like that. It's a complicated, jumbled mess of fateful events that get dumped on you by someone who apparently thinks it's really fun to mess up my life.

So here it is; the story of one Samantha Manson, a gothic teen who is about to show you what it's really like to be in love with your best friend (who just so happens to be half ghost), and a boy who isn't all that he seems to be.

It started off normal enough. I was cornered by my mother (and a frilly pink dress), and hating every moment of it. It's happened often enough before, but we won't get into that. It isn't important to the story.

"But, Sam, dearie," my mother pleaded, and I rolled my eyes in frustration. "Danny will love you in this!" My eyes widened in embarrassment, and I blushed.

"Mom, you know that Danny's just a friend," I replied with a forced smile. Of course, that was only a half truth; Danny and I weren't dating or anything like that, but I did have a crush on him. Everyone always referred to us as a couple, though, which made no sense at all to me. He always crushed on girls like Paulina or Valerie. Not that I didn't want him to be happy, but...it was hard to see him always looking at them, and to see his feelings always being returned. Even if they were both only in love with half of him...

"Of course, sweetie," she said, giving me an all-knowing smile. "But you don't need a boy to wear a nice dress." My mother's smile suddenly grew wider, and I groaned. I was definitely in for trouble. (And boy, was I right!)

"You'll look so wonderful in this at the Masquerade Ball!" My mouth fell open. The _what? _

"Mom, what are you talking about?" I asked, a pained expression on my face. What was she up to now?

"The annual Masquerade Ball, of course," she squealed, and I stared at her. "It's on Sunday night. I signed you up weeks ago, Samantha, so no backing out!" I racked my mind for an excuse, anything that could get me out of this.

"But, Mom, my friends and I have plans that night!" I replied nervously. (Totally a lie, but, hey, who's counting?) But my mom just sighed and frowned at me. "Then you'll have to cancel them, Sam," she replied. "I'm going to be firm about this. You need some time away from those _friends_ of yours, anyway." Before I could figure out a good comeback, my grandmother sped into the room on her scooter. I looked at her hopefully; my grandmother had always been a voice of reason in my family.

"Grandma! Mom wants me to go to this masquerade thing-y, but I-"

"I think that it's a wonderful idea," she replied, her voice happy but her face serious as she looked at me. "I remember my first masquerade quite fondly..." Then she sped out of the room, like she'd never been there. I just stared, the fight gone out of me. My friends might call me the 'eternal activist', but I know when I'm beat. My mother's face just beamed at me, outrageously happy that she'd actually won against me. (Which I promise will never, _ever _happen again.) I sighed dejectedly.

"Fine," I said after a moment. "I'll go." She squealed again, then started pacing. Before she could think of anything more horrible, I interrupted with, "But _I'll _pick out what I'm going to wear." My mother's face fell for a minute, then perked up again. "As long as it's a dress," she compromised. "And you have to look respectable." My mother started to walk into one of our kitchen's (we have three), but not before adding, "Oh, and you'll need a mask. It _is _a masquerade, after all."

And that, my dear readers, is how this whole fiasco started.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey y'all! Sorry for the delay, I'm new at this, pretty slow, and a procrastinator by nature. Plus, school is dragging me down. Anyway, hope you enjoy. Like I said before, reviews are doubly appreciated. I'd love to hear what you think.

* * *

My friends and I aren't your normal group of friends. (Well, we weren't that normal to begin with, but that's not the point.) To the students of Casper High and the rest of Amity Park, we're just a group of outcasts. Tucker's a techno-geek, I'm a Goth, and Danny is just average. (If only they knew!)

So, with a normal group of friends, you might just be hanging out on a Saturday afternoon. Watching movies, playing videogames, whatever. Not that we don't do those things (a lot), but we do other things, too. Like kicking ghost-butt.

"Sam, watch out!" We were fighting Skulker, who was not much of a threat compared to what we've been through before, but he could still get you if he caught you off guard. You know, like what was happening to me _right now! _

I fumbled with my small ray gun as an enraged Skulker flew toward me, but I didn't need it. Danny was also flying toward me, knocking me down and out of harm's way. I rubbed my head where it had hit the cold, stone floor of the warehouse.

Danny was a few inches above my face, looking worriedly down at me. Blinking, I stared at him as I realized how close we were. He realized it too, I guess, as he scrambled off of me and stood up hastily.

"You okay?" Danny asked, rubbing the back of his neck, like he usually does. It's his nervous habit. He was blushing slightly, like me, but it was probably just because of the stuffiness in here. (It _was _pretty hot in here. Or were my hormones just messing with my brain?)

I nodded, and we stood in an awkward silence for a moment, before Tucker interrupted.

"Guys! A little help, please?" Danny and I laughed as we charged back into the fight, earning us a half-hearted scowl from Tucker. Picking up my ray gun, I cocked it and aimed for Skulker, getting a perfect shot. As he turned to face me, fuming, I smiled sweetly at him.

"Ah, the whelp's little girlfriend," he remarked, an malevolent grin spreading across his face (or whatever you call that metal heap of junk.) "What a pleasant surprise." I frowned, not surprised at his comment. As I said before, everyone-even ghosts-refer to me and Danny as a couple. Weird.

"I'm not his girlfriend," I growled, cocking my gun again silently, behind my back. "And I do have a name, you know." He just chuckled softly, his grin going wider. I glanced at Danny. He had been off in his own little world for the last few minutes, which was surprising, because he usually doesn't do that during fights. He's always alert, ready to do whatever needs to be done. He shook his head, snapping out of whatever he had been thinking, and stepped toward Skulker.

"Leave her alone," Danny said, holding his hand up, gathering energy for a ghost ray. "You came to hunt me, right? Well, here I am." Skulker only sighed heavily, putting up his weapons.

"I have more important matters than you, tonight, whelp," he said loftily, his grin disappearing into a grim smile. "I'm not in the mood to get sucked into that darn thermos of yours today." Tucker threw the said thermos to Danny, who turned and caught it easily.

"Too bad for you, then, Skulker, because you are-" But he only found himself staring at empty air. Skulker was gone.

"Well, that was weird," Tucker remarked as he crashed into a beanbag, and I definitely agreed. We were in Danny's room, all wondering what the heck had just happened. What had Skulker meant by 'more important matters'? And why had he grinned at me so evilly? He usually ignored me and Tucker, focusing on Danny, always declaring that he was going to 'hang his pelt at the foot of his bed'! So, why me?

I sat on the bed by Danny, who staring up at the ceiling with a serious look on his face. I frowned, wondering what was so important.

"Danny, are you okay? You've been a little spacey," I commented, and Tucker nodded, also frowning. We looked at Danny attentively as he just stared back at us, looking a little…embarrassed?

"Are you thinking of someone in particular?" Tucker looked at Danny and I with an amused look on his face, and I scowled back at him. Probably Paulina, or Valerie. Danny scowled back, too. Tucker held up his hands in defeat, then twirled his PDA in his fingers absent-mindedly.

"So, plans for Sunday night; there's a new movie that just came out, Dead Teacher VI! You guys in?" Tucker grinned, already entering the data into the PDA. Danny nodded and grinned, too. He was probably glad to get some time off from his ghost fighting career. I started to nod too, then remembered my "special plans".

"Sorry, guys," I said glumly. "But I have to go to a ball tomorrow." Danny and Tucker exchanged looks, then burst out laughing. I put my hands on my hips, scowling. (I sure do scowl a lot, even for a Goth.)

"It's not like I have a choice!" I snapped, only making them laugh harder. "My mom's making me go."

"You're…going to a…a _ball_?" Tucker wiped away a tear from his eye. He was laughing so hard that he had almost fallen off the beanbag.

"Yes," I replied, frowning. "And I don't see what's so funny about it." Danny was still laughing, but stopped when he heard Tucker's next question:

"So, who's your date?"


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, about the last chapter...I was really low on inspiration, I had a terrible cold, and I had a million things to do. It was really short and pretty bad, and that was due to my own carelessness and my lack of attention to the story. Hopefully, this is much better.

* * *

Jeez. Add _another _problem to my very, very long list of them. Thanks, Tucker.

I shrugged at his question, acting like I didn't care. But his huge grin told me that he didn't buy it, and I frowned at him.

Danny sat there staring at us for a moment, and I was getting pretty uncomfortable. "What?" I snapped, the word coming out a little meaner then I had meant. Danny looked hurt for a second, but his face was smooth as he stood up, leaning against the wall.

"Nothing," he replied, tapping the wall and humming. Tucker rolled his eyes, whipping out his PDA and furiously keying something in.

"But shouldn't you know who he is? I mean, you'll be dancing with him the whole night, right? Shouldn't you know who it is?" Danny continued, still humming and tapping, looking a little nervous. I shrugged again. Frankly, I don't know much at all when it comes to my life. Kind of sad, really.

"I think they're assigned to you or something," I said, my fingers tracing the patterns on his bedspread. "Plus, it's a masquerade, so we'll all be wearing masks. That reminds me…" My eyes widened. Looking at my watch frantically, I saw in horror that it was already one o'clock. "Crap," I muttered under my breath, and my eyes flitted out Danny's bedroom window. My mother had told me that I could pick out my own dress, but only if I met her at the mall before one fifteen.

Great. I had fifteen minutes to try to get to the mall, or my fate would be suffocating under twelve pounds of pink fabric. Just great. I probably could have asked Danny to fly me there or something, but…I'd been feeling a little uncomfortable around him lately. Oh, well.

Maybe it would be possible to get there without breaking several laws of physics and other important things, like, you know, _gravity._

Maybe.

--

After bolting out of there like I'd seen a ghost (Ha!), without any explanation to Danny or Tucker, I'm pretty sure they called the police. Or the SWAT teams. Or maybe both. I already know some people who are the Most Wanted people in Switzerland. Who knows, maybe one of these days you'll be seeing _my _face on a wanted poster.

Anyway, I managed to get to the mall only seven minutes late, and I'm pretty sure I broke some major records getting there. Who knew a human could be in the air _that long _after tripping in the street when you're running at the speed of light?

Yeah, not a happy memory.

My mom was waiting for me in front, tapping her foot impatiently. She scowled when she saw me, a straggling pedestrian gasping for breath and knocking into random people. When I was finally in front of her, wheezing, she just walked inside, motioning for me to follow her.

This is where my nightmare begins, folks.

--

I won't bore you with all the details about our little shopping spree. I'm just going to skip to the important part, where it all really started to get weird.

After trying on about a thousand dresses, I'd finally found one that I actually kind of liked. It was a little similar to the one I'd worn to the school dance earlier in the year. It looked like it was modeled a little after the Victorian style dresses. The top was black, and the long, flowing skirt was purple. Simple, and not going to attract lots of attention, but pretty enough.

When I stepped nervously out of the dressing room, my mom was practically glowing. "You look wonderful, Samantha," she said quietly, her face split into a huge smile. I smiled myself; just because I'm a Goth, a non-comformist, and lots of other important things, it doesn't mean I don't like to look pretty once in a while. Deep, deep, down, I guess I actually did. "You like it, don't you?" I nodded, and my mother's smile grew bigger.

"I'll go see what it costs," she said, going to the cashier. I turned my head to the mirror, my smile fading. Who was I kidding? I _am _a Goth, and Goths don't wear pretty dresses and go to midnight balls. Paulina or one of her crew might not think this dress wasn't "fashionable", but I liked it. But…I felt a little strange. Picking up the half-mask I had chosen, which was supposed to be some kind of dark, exotic bird, I held it up to my face and sighed.

I don't think I belonged in that dress.

Putting the mask back in the bag, I came out of the dressing room and peered around the store. This was a Gothic store, so it was pretty dark, of course.

"You look nice." I whipped around, and almost knocked into Dash. I straightened up quickly, glaring at him.

"What are you doing here?" I snapped, crossing my arms.

Dash looked lost for a second, then replied sheepishly, "I was just, uh, looking around?" It was more a question than an answer. My eyes narrowed.

"In a Gothic store? Yeah, _right,_" I said, scowling. "Why are you really here, Baxter?" He looked offended.

"I _do _have a name, you know," he replied. "And, for your information, I'm with my cousin. She's a Goth," Dash admitted, looking at his feet. I gaped at him.

"You make fun of me and other Goths, but you have a cousin who's one?" I practically shouted. Now it was _my _turn to stare at my combat boots, my cheats heating. Yeah, I _always _keep my calm. Jeez. I'm supposed to be the smart one in our little trio, right?

"Yeah, sorry about that," he replied, and I lifted my head and stared at him. Dash was _apologizing?_

This was _so _messed up.

I just nodded stiffly, and Dash looked sad. Sighing, he added, "I really think you look pretty, though." I stared down at my dress, then back at him. Just a minute ago I'd been thinking no one would ever say that to me-and here Dash was, saying it freely. Or was he just trying to be funny and trick the "Goth geek"?

"Is this some kind of joke?" I replied bluntly. Dash stared blankly at me for a moment, and I grinned inwardly. Score one for Sam. Yes! Stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets, he stepped back angrily.

"Can't you just take a stupid compliment?" Dash snapped, and I just frowned.

"Can't _you _use your brain for once?" I replied just as mean. "You're mean to me and my friends as long as we've known you, and then you give me a compliment and expect me to suddenly be your best friend?" I shook my head. "It doesn't work that way." I started to walk forward, to go find my mom-this conversation was going on _way _too long for my comfort. But Dash stepped in front of me, holding up a hand.

"I'm making an effort here, you know," he said. "I really am." I felt bad for him for a second. Only a second. I remembered how, on Friday, Dash and the rest of football team had been beating Danny and Tucker up. Of all those times when Dash had been helping Paulina make fun of me, the "Goth geek". Of all the millions of times we'd been in detention. Armed with my anger, I replied nastily, "Sure, Dash. I'll tell you when I start to care."

Then I brushed past him, making sure to knock his shoulder. I changed and bought the dress, and by the time I had a second to look up, Dash was gone.

Driving home, my mom asked, "Who was that boy you were talking to back in the store?" I frowned.

"Just a kid from school," I replied lightly, and she nodded, concentrating on the road. Looking out the window, I watched as houses and building passed by. I still had some thinking to do about that.

A _lot _of thinking.

The afternoon quickly passed by, a jumbled mess of hadtily trying to get ready and a few video chats with Tucker. Danny hadn't been on. Actually, I was kind of glad; I din't really feel like talking to him right now. Not that I was mad at him or anything, but things had been a little weird between us lately.

Standing in front of a large building which I guess was a ballroom inside. I was wearing the dress I had bought earlier today, along with my combat boots, and I was wearing my hair the same way it had been at the school dance. I clutched my mask, staring at it. What the heck was I doing here? I could be at the movies, goofing off with my friends, but instead I was here. At a ball.

How ironic.

Lifting up the mask so that my eyes were level with the eye slits, I took it all in. Here I was, Samantha Manson, going to a masquerade, with an unknown, mystery boy. Life definitely doesn't get weirder than that. Slipping the mask onto my face, I crept out of the shadows and walked up to the large double doors where teens were streaming in. I was still wearing my watch; nine o'clock. Right on time.

As I walked through those doors, I didn't have any shocking revelations, find the answers to some important question, or even figure out what the heck I was doing here. I just walked through the doors, no questions asked. Because, really, everything started on the inside.

So, maybe I've just been telling you useless information about my life _before _everything got really messed up, but I think it was all important. I needed to show you what is was like when things were all normal; not that I'm saying my life was ever normal. I mean, I'm a Goth with a techno geek and a half-ghost as best friends, and I fight ghosts pretty much every day. Yeah, totally normal.

But you know what I mean.

Like I said before, this is _my _story. I'm going to tell it how I want to, 'cause that's just the way I am. Sometimes you can't control your own story, because sometimes it has to write itself. That's what happened to me. Yep, this is my story-but it can be your story, too. As I walked through those doors, though, I wasn't thinking any of these things.

But if I had known what was going to happen that night, and the days after? Would I have run the other way, not ever thinking of what waited for me on the other side?

I'm not so sure…


	4. Chapter 4

Hey! Here's the next chapter. Reviews are, of course, very appreciated.

By the way-I might not be updating soon, because of NaNoWriMo. (If you don't know what that is, it stands for National Novel Writing Month, when you try writing a 50,000 word novel in a month.) I'll try, though. Anyway-enjoy!

* * *

I swear, that ballroom would've made Cinderella proud. It was practically dripping with lace and fringe, and all other kinds of detestable decorations. All around, I saw preppy girls bouncing up and down, and guys gripping drinks, looking like they'd rather be anywhere else. Sighing, I made my way over to the snack table. This looked like it would be a _great _night! (Note the sarcasm?)

"This looks like fun, doesn't it?" I looked up quickly. A tall boy was standing in front of me, in a tuxedo. He had a Phantom of the Opera mask, short blond hair, and sparkling blue eyes.

"Mind reader, huh?" I replied, grinning. Inside, I felt shocked at myself. Me, the Goth, had just made conversation. What was the world coming to?

"I try," he said, grinning back. He looked over at a raised stage, which had a microphone set up. Looking back at me, he shifted from foot to foot, blushing madly. "I-I hear that they don't assign partners. Would you, uh, like to be my partner?" he blurted out quickly, then paused for air. I stared at him. I thought I'd be all alone the whole night, just standing in a corner while everyone was off dancing. But here was a random boy asking me to dance, and he sounded nervous about it, too. Like he was afraid I'd say no.

"Sure," I said hesitantly, and his whole face split into a huge grin, like he'd just won the lottery. "But I need to call you something," I pointed out, and he looked at me thoughtfully. "And you need a name for me, too." We stood thinking for a moment.

"You can call me Phantom," he decided, smiling. I almost laughed at the irony, but kept a straight face. "And I'll call you…Angel!" I scowled at him, and he grinned sheepishly.

"Do I look like an angel to you, buddy?" I put my hands on my hips and cocked my head at him. He looked at me seriously for a minute, and replied, "Yeah, actually, you do." I stared at him, flustered, and I actually _blushed. _Hey, readers, if you ever want to visit me, I'll probably be in the asylum by morning. I mean, seriously, _who_ am I again?

"Thanks," I muttered, looking at my feet. Which were still my boots. I swished the dress a little so that it would cover them.

"No problem," he replied, a little too cheerily, grabbing my hand and literally dragging me to the dance floor as music started to play. Okay, you may not know this about me, but I used to take dance lessons, when I was, like, seven. I stopped soon enough, but the damage was done. I am now forever cursed to know how to dance hundreds of steps, some of which are too horrible too remember.

This was the waltz. We glided gracefully around the dance floor, as if we were moving on air; I hadn't danced, really danced, in a long time.

It felt good.

"So, Phantom," I said casually, breaking the eerie silence between us. It felt strange to call him that, like I was talking to Danny or something.

"So, Angel," he replied (casually!), grinning at me as I scowled at him. "I guess we should be, uh, 'getting to know each other better'? So, mind if I ask a few questions?"

"Ask away," I said as he twirled me, and Phantom smiled. I smiled stupidly back at him, and then turned it back into a scowl. He just laughed.

"What's your, um…favorite hobby?" I snickered.

"Nice one," I replied, still laughing as he shot me a glare. My hobby was probably actually ghost hunting since me and Tucker did it almost every day with Danny, but… "My hobby would probably be escaping from my mom and her frilly pink dresses," I declared.

"Ouch," Phantom replied, wincing sympathetically. I nodded grimly, memories washing over me…I shuddered. "Are you cold?" he asked, concerned, taking his hand off my waist and putting it to my cheek, stopping our dance for a split second.

I froze. It was like someone had taken a picture of us; neither of us moved; we just stared into each other's eyes for a brief second. Then Phantom lowered his hand quickly and continued dancing.

"My turn to ask a question now," I said, the blush that had crept up my cheeks gone. He nodded, looking a little breathless. "What's _your _favorite hobby?" Phantom nearly tripped over his own feet when I spoke, blushing.

"Promise not to tell anyone?" he asked, his voice barely audible over the music and noisy feet. I laughed.

"How can I? I don't even know who you are, _Phantom_," I replied, and he grinned.

"Actually…I like to songwrite," Phantom admitted quietly, looking ashamed. I stared at him, confused.

"Why would that be a bad thing?" I asked. "It sounds really cool to me." Phantom shook his head, sighing.

"My friends wouldn't think so," he said under his breath, just so that I barely caught it.

"Then they aren't real friends," I replied, squeezing his shoulder reassuringly. Looking up, Phantom smiled at me. "Now, let's dance!"

We whirled and twirled around the dance floor like we were floating, the music carrying us. When the music stopped, I collapsed in a chair, worn out. Phantom sat in a chair beside me.

"You know," he said loftily, "I'm a football player." Phantom said it like he'd just told me the cure to cancer. I snorted.

"Don't worry," I replied. "I promise not to kill you because of it." He looked confused.

"Don't you think that it's awesome? I mean, I thought girls loved football players!" I snorted again.

"Maybe stupid girls do," I said. "But don't you think it'd be cooler if they liked you for who _you _are, not because you wear a letter jacket?" He nodded thoughtfully.

"I've never told anyone this before," he started hesitantly, "but, actually, I don't like to play football that much." I looked at him, surprised.

"Then why do you play it?" I mean, not to state the obvious, but _hello_.

"My dad," he answered, his voice so low I could barely hear it. "He's basically living the life he wishes he had lived in high school. A-List, football, dating the popular girls…" Phantom's voice trailed off. It had been rising in anger.

I put my hand on his shoulder. "You control your own life," I said. "Don't let your dad live it for you." He smiled at me.

"Thanks, Angel," Phantom replied, ignoring my glare. "You've really helped me."

"All in a days' work," I replied casually, leaning back in my chair. He laughed, and then grabbed my hand as the music started back up. "C'mon, let's go!" Phantom said enthusiastically, dragging me to the dance floor again. But, actually, I didn't really mind.

I was falling for my dance partner.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey! First off, I'd like to thank all the wonderful people who've taken the time to write me reviews. Reading what you've written really helps my writing, and birghtens up my day. Secondly, as for who Sam's dance partner is... rolls eyes I'm not exactly a "master of suprise". Anyway, I hope you enjoy this new chapter, which I wrote just for you.

* * *

It all passed too fast. Like a dream that I was watching from the outside, seeing the impossible happen; I was getting a crush on him. Some boy that I didn't even know, someone I had only been dancing with for the past hour, someone who I called Phantom. It was all too…unreal. I was _Sam. _Things like that don't happen to me.

We'd talked the whole while. Amazing, how I still had no clue what his name was, but I practically knew his life story. I hadn't told him so much about me, but enough. For some reason, I felt…_connected_ to him somehow.

"Hey, Angel, do you want to go get our picture taken?" Phantom suggested, gesturing toward the stage where an arch had been set up, covered with real flowers, where dancing partners were getting their picture taken. Clingy girls were draped over the arms of guys who looked half asleep, and looked like they were debating whether to kick the girls off of them or not. I stared at him, with a look that basically said, "Are you kidding me?!"

"Never mind," he muttered, and then his face brightened again. "Hey," he said brightly, starting to head through the crowd, "follow me." Cautiously, I followed him through the steady flow of dancers, all getting ready to leave. He just blindly pushed through them, while I was trying to simply not get trampled. Hey, whoever said teens weren't animals?

At the edge of the ballroom, I hissed, "Where are we going again?" He just smiled, and pushed through a small wooden door I hadn't noticed before. Taking my hand, he led me through the small opening. I peered through the darkness, and shrugged. "Can't see a thing."

Even through the darkness, I could see the flash of white as he smiled. Then everything burst into perspective.

Colored lights burst from the darkness, immediately lighting up the night. Fountains came on, the light reflecting off the glassy surface of the water. It was a fairy garden, complete with hundreds of rose bushes and lilacs. How could I not have noticed this before? I stepped back, amazed.

"Wow," I breathed, breath-taken. Phantom smiled again, and I thought that for sure it was too big for his face.

"Do you like it?" Phantom asked, stepping closer. I nodded, smiling myself. It was all so…perfect.

We stood there quietly for a few moments, just slowly taking in all the beauty around us. We were at the center of the garden, and it was otherworldly. I loved my home, but Amity Park wasn't exactly the place you come for great beauty. I can't believe I'd never seen this before.

"It's new," Phantom said, as if reading my mind. I turned and smiled at him.

"It's beautiful," I replied.

"It really is." I stepped a bit closer, as did he. It was like we were magnetized, being pulled together subconsciously. I hadn't realized we were so close before it happened.

We just gazed into each other's eyes stupidly, both of us not sure if we should move. We were so close that I could feel his breath, cold against my face in the chilly night air.

"Angel, I…"

"Dash! We've got to go! Come on!" I almost fell over. Dash was here?! I stared at Phantom, who was trying to see over the hedge. "I gotta go," he said hurriedly, staring to move toward a gate. Confused, I just stared at his retreating form. Then I realized. I nearly smacked my head at how stupid I had been.

"Wait…Dash?" He froze at hearing his name, and I knew my assumption was correct. He turned around.

"The one and only," he admitted and, smiling weakly, he stripped off his mask.

It was definitely Dash.

"Now that you know who I am, it's only fair that I know who you are, _Angel_," Dash said, then he just stared at me,waiting. I started to walk backwards hurriedly, nearly tripping over my own boots.

"Maybe I better not…" I replied, trying to act calm. I mean, seriously, how would you be acting? I had had a crush on DASH, for crying out loud!

"What?" Dash asked, confused. "Why not?" He started walking toward me, reaching for my mask. He just brushed away my futile attempts to try to keep my mask on. Dash staggered back as he saw my (somewhat guilty) face.

"Manson?" He stared at me in horror, like I was the Grim Reaper or something. I snatched back my mask.

"I do have a name, you know," I replied, finally finding the doorknob with my hands behind my back. I wanted to be as far away from this place, and these memories, as I could.

"Uh…sorry." He closed his mouth, with had been hanging open in shock. "Sorry, Sam." I just nodded stiffly. He cleared his throat, noticing the obvious awkwardness.

"DASH! Come on, NOW!" Dash grinned sheepishly, mouthing, "Big sister." I smiled. So Danny and Dash _did_ have something in common.

Dash walked toward the gate, then stopped and looked back at me. "So…see you at school, Sam?" I grinned despite myself. Who knows, maybe Dash had changed! (Hey, I can dream.)

"See you at school, Dash." Then he left, and I could only stare and wonder, _What the heck am I getting into now?_


	6. Chapter 6

Hola! (I have Spanish today, so I thought I might as well get into the mood.) Here's the next chapter...thanks again to all the wonderful people who have reviewed so far, and I hope there are more to come. Enjoy!

* * *

My school day started out with me getting hit in the face by a locker. I don't know where you to go to school, or how your day usually starts out, but I sure hope it isn't like mine. Cold, hard metal slamming into your face is not a pleasurably experience. Trust me.

"Oh, sorry, _freak,_" I heard as I lay on the school floor, dazed. (Can you guess who it was?) I glared up angrily at Paulina, who had a smirk on her face.

"I'm sure you are," I replied, sitting up and holding a hand to my head. Paulina just smiled sweetly at me and walked away.

"Ignore her. She's just trying to get you mad." I twisted my neck around to see none other than Dash. Jeez. For a football player, that guy is real good at sneaking up on people.

"Oh, really? I never could have guessed," I replied drily as I stood up. Dash grinned, then shifted from foot to foot, like he had last night. Suddenly, those last two words hit me like the locker all over again. _Last night…_

I'd tried not to think about it. I wasn't sure what to make of it, or him. I mean, this was Dash Baxter we're talking about. All around jock, star football player, most popular boy at Casper High, and the guy who beat up my two best friends as a hobby.

Or so I'd thought.

Last night had shown me a different side of him. He was a sensitive guy who liked to write songs, didn't actually like being popular, and understood what it was like to have controlling parents. He was just a regular guy. I even sort of…no. Not thinking about _that _right now.

We stood awkwardly, not sure what to say. I wondered what was going through his mind right now. If it was anything like mine…did he think of me differently, too? Was I now more than just the Goth-freak, someone different?

Did I _want _to be different to him?

Fortunately or unfortunately (you decide), the silence and tension between us ended. "Hey Sam, what's-" I turned around to see Tucker behind me. "Oh. Dash." He looked a little scared and nervous, but he was trying to put a mask of bravado on. "What do you want?"

Dash looked nervous, too. "Nothing," he muttered, then took a few steps back. "See you later, Sam." Then he ran up the hall, pushing a few kids out of the way to get through. Not as hard as usual, though, I noticed. When I turned around again, Tucker was looking at me skeptically.

"'See you later, Sam'? What's up with him?" Tucker peered at my face, which probably held a look of bewilderment, confusion, among other things. Sometimes I can be an open book. "And what's up with you?" I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

"Nothing," I replied, breezing past him. "C'mon, we've got to get to class. Where's Danny?" Tucker shrugged, following me. "I don't know. Probably got into _trouble,_if you get my drift." I nodded absent-mindedly. _Yeah, _I thought. _Trouble._

* * *

I drummed my fingers against my desk as Lancer continually droned on about Shakespeare. Tucker was sprawled across his desk, probably asleep, and a dozen other students were snoring or doodling on their papers. But all of this went unnoticed to the oblivious Mr. Lancer, teacher extraordinaire! _Yeah, right._

But he _did _notice when Danny came trudging into class, looking half-asleep, his eyes partially closed. Lancer slammed his Shakespeare collection on his desk, making the whole class jump.

"Mr. Fenton! Late again, I see. Detention!" Then he continued droning on, and Danny just slid into the desk beside me, ignoring him. After a minute or two, I leaned over.

"Where have you been?" I hissed, keeping my face toward the board. When I looked back at him, he just shook his head, yawning. _I'll tell you later_, his look told me. I just nodded slowly and sat up straight again. No use trying to get it out of him now, with all these witnesses.

Might as well let him get some sleep…

* * *

"You did _what?_" I hissed at Danny for the fourteenth time. He just groaned and rolled his eyes. We were sitting at the lunch table, having just gotten our trays. Tucker was busily trying to stuff as much hamburger as he could into his mouth while Danny was explaining to me why he was pretty much dead to the world during the rest of English. (Well, more dead than uusal, at least.)

"I took an expedition into the Ghost Zone," Danny repeated, shrugging like it was no big deal. Which it _was._ "You know, to kind of explore. Map it out." Now it was my turn to groan.

"I understand _that, _but why didn't you call me or Tucker? We would've been happy to help you. I mean, what if Walker had caught you?" Tucker nodded, agreeing with me. Neither of us liked for Danny to be in danger, and no one can do everything by themselves.

"You were at that dance thing, and I didn't think it was important enough to bother Tucker with," Danny replied angrily, leaning closer over the table so that no one could hear what we were saying. Suddenly, he sat up straight, his eyes widening a bit.

"Hey, that reminds me," Danny said. "How did the dance go last night?" I looked down at my salad, which had suddenly become very interesting. I started to poke through it with my fork, choosing to ignore his question.

"Uh, Sam? Danny asked you a question," Tucker said, tapping my shoulder. I didn't answer. "Sam? Hello, earth to Sam!" He waved a hand in front of my face, and I looked up, annoyed, as he took it down.

"What?" I asked nastily, now practically stabbing my salad. Danny and Tucker just stared at me. "What?" I asked again, louder, getting more annoyed. Not only did they have to ask stupid questions, they had to stare at me, too? This was not one of my greatest days.

"Behind you," Tucker muttered, low enough so that only I could hear it. I froze. Suddenly, I had a very bad feeling…slowly, I turned around and looked up. Just in time to get a waterfall of water dumped on my head.

I was totally soaked, all over. Water dripped from my now very wet hair onto the floor, forming a puddle. The whole cafeteria burst into laughter, except for Danny and Tucker, who were looking nervously from one another. I turned around fully to face Paulina and Star.

"You looked like you were steaming, Sam," Paulina said triumphantly, smirking as she and Star held the cooler that had held the water that they had just dumped on me. "We thought we should cool you off." I stood up slowly, shaking a little to get some water of my clothes. I must have looked like I was getting ready to murder someone, because Paulina and Star stepped back a fraction, though still smirking.

"Oh, look, bat-girl's mad," Star cooed. " I'm _so _scared." The cafeteria laughed again, and I nearly snapped.

"Can't you just leave me _alone_?" I hissed at them, but they didn't flinch.

"But it's entertainment," Paulina replied, pouting. "What do you expect? I mean, just _look _at you. Once a freak, always a freak." Paulina turned toward the A-List's table. "What do you think, Dash?" Dash froze, and so did I. The whole cafeteria was staring at him, waiting for him to agree, and join in. Our eyes met. I'm not sure what he saw in my eyes, but he looked away quickly.

"Yeah," he muttered, just loud enough so everyone in the cafeteria could her, including me. I stared at him. "A…freak." Everyone started laughing again, and I looked around helplessly. I didn't know what to say. Paulina turned back to me, her face twisted with dislike.

"Get lost," she snarled. I did. I tore through cafeteria, leaving behind my friends and my uneaten lunch, their laughter echoing behind me. I kicked open the doors, ran through the hallways, and out onto the football field, water streaming off my hair and clothes, leaving puddles behind me.

I stopped in the middle of the football field. I wasn't sure why I'd come here, but I'd needed to get out of there. I might be the Gothic Manson girl who doesn't care what anyone says and defies the world, but everyone have their limits. And I was almost at my own.

"Sam!" I nearly snarled when I heard his voice.

"Come to make fun of the _freak, _Dash?" I turned around, glaring at him. Dash stepped back as he met the full force of my glare.

"No, Sam," Dash said, stepping forward and gulping. "I'm so, so sorry. I didn't know what to do…they were all staring at me….please, Sam!" His eyes pleaded with me, but I didn't budge.

"You could've said _no, _Dash! But when it cam down to it, that's all I was. A _freak._" I replied bitterly, kicking at the ground angrily. He shook his head stubbornly.

"No…Sam, you're not a freak. You never were. It just took me a while to see it." I looked up at him, surprised. What, did this guy write poetry, too?

"That can't change what you did, Dash," I said, my voice losing some of its anger. He nodded, grimacing.

"I know. But, Sam, I…" Dash shook his head. "Dang it, I've never been good with words," he said angrily, and then he kissed me.

I nearly fell backwards, and I would have if he wasn't holding my shoulders. This was insane! Dash was _kissing _me! I was kissing _Dash! _And…well, I had officially run out of things to scream in my head. My heart was probably sick of my mind anyway, because it suddenly took over. I started to close my eyes, even though my rational mind was still screaming as it slowly shut off.

But before I closed my eyes, I saw Danny staring at me from across the football field, a look of utter shock on his face.


	7. Chapter 7

Okay. It's been a while since I last updated- NaNoWriMo saw to that- but I hope this is another chapter fit for the cliffhanger I ended with last time. To end with another cliffhanger. Promise me, there won't be so many after this. Promise.

So, good news is that I sucsessfully wrote 50,000 words in November, which is totally awesome. If anyone else reading this participated in NaNo, congratulations, for any word amount that you wrote. Think of it this way- it's more words than you've written before, which is awesome in my book. Bad news? This story has been sitting, neglected, for more than a month. But now that's it back on it's seat, I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Okay, my heart isn't _that _strong. When I saw Danny, red lights flashed and sirens wailed in my head. I immediately pushed Dash away, staring at him.

"Dash! What the heck?" I snarled, while trying to look behind him for Danny. No luck, though. He was gone, and no wonder. I had been kissing _Dash_. Well, technically he had been kissing me, but whatever. It was still way, way weird. Me and _Dash_? I don't think so.

Dash had this goofy grin on his face, and I was about to smack him silly before he came back to his senses. I crossed my arms over my chest, glaring at him angrily. Dash frowned, like he didn't know why I was mad, then his eyes widened. "Oh, my god…Sam, I shouldn't have..." Dash paused. "Well, I told you I was bad at talking." I raised my eyebrows.

"Yet you can write songs? That's basically talking- or I guess singing- on paper," I pointed out, and Dash shrugged.

"I don't know," he admitted. "One day, I just got the inspiration, and started writing." Dash looked down at the ground. "I really love it." I smiled.

"Well, it's good you found something you love, other than beating other kids up," I said, a little coldly, but it's not like he could deny it. Dash started to say something, but I cut him off. "Anyway. Don't you think we should focus more on the matter at hand?" Dash's face fell.

"That's what my father tells everyone about me," he said bitterly. "'Dash? He's the head of his class, of the entire _school_, I'm telling you. That boy knows what he wants, and he goes and gets it.'" He said this all in a deeper voice, imitating his father. I raised an eyebrow. I wondered what my parents said about _me_. Dash's wasn't far from the truth, but my parents wanted a Paulina. I guess I didn't cut it.

"Look, I'm sorry," I replied, genuinely. "I really am. I know where you're coming from." Dash nodded sadly, and I scowled. "But I'm kind of caught up with the fact that you just freaking _kissed _me, and I kind of want an answer." Dash looked kind of nervous, and he was blushing like crazy.

"Sam, I really, really-" Dash was cut off by the bell. He looked relieved, and I wondered what he was going to say. Something big to be looking that relieved. "Whoa! Time just flies sometimes. There's the bell. Gotta go! See you, Sam!" He was rattling things off a mile a minute, so fast I could barely even make sense of them. Then he was gone, run off to who know's where leaving me bewildered and officially freaked out.

Can things get any more stranger?

(Don't answer that.)

* * *

I sunk into a seat beside Tucker, not daring to look at him. I'd dried off in the bathroom, and now we were in algebra, and Danny wasn't in our class. Thankfully. But there was also another problem. Tucker and Danny were super close, and while that's a really good thing, I wondered if that meant they confided in each other a lot. You know, things like… oh-my-god-Sam-was-kissing-_Dash_! You know. That sort of thing.

"Do you know where Danny is?" Tucker whispered to me, and I shrugged, sighing quietly in relief. Tucker wasn't that good at hiding his emotions, so I could safely confirm that he had no idea what had been going on.

"In class?" I guessed, and he shook his head.

"I haven't seen him since you ran off," he replied, and I sunk a little lower in my seat. Uh-oh. Not good. I wondered if this had anything to do with me. Knowing my luck, probably. "He went to see if you were okay." Tucker paused, eyes widening behind his glasses. "Wait. Did anything happen between you two?" I blushed, but tried to keep it down. Seriously, I was pretty pale. I didn't want to light up like it was Christmas or something.

"No," I said quickly, and Tucker raised his eyebrows. I scowled. "What. You think this is my fault or something?" He shook his head, and I sighed. Just another thing to add to my This-is-such-a-great-day! list: Danny was missing.

"Sorry. Just kinda worried, you know? He's totally skipping school. I mean, if he gets detention _again_, he'll probably be sentenced to life." Tucker made a weird noise that was half snort, half sigh. "Or longer, I guess." I nodded, grimacing.

"He probably just saw a ghost or something," I said, trying to assure him. Or maybe myself. "I'm sure he's fine." Danny wouldn't just skip school for nothing. It's not like it was his favorite thing ever, but he didn't want his parents involved.

"I hope you're right," Tucker replied, refocusing the attention on the board and Mr. Faluca. I did too. At least it was a distraction from all the thoughts running wild in my head.

And it left me wondering… where the heck was Danny, anyway?

* * *

Tucker's parents had picked him up from school, saying they wanted to do a "family activity" together. Whatever. Waving to him as he disappeared into the car, I set off. I needed some alone time, anyway. Just to kind of get _away_ from my thoughts instead of letting them boil, frustrated, inside of me.

If you're reading this, you probably know that I'm not _only _Sam Manson, goth girl. I'm also an enviormentalist. Strolling through the park was one of my favorite things to do, especially when I needed an escape from the polluted metropolis area. Walking through it right now, I pulled up the hood of my purple hoodie over my head, shivering. It was winter and getting colder every day. I was counting the days until Christmas, probably my favorite day of the whole year- even though I didn't celebrate. I know, kind of weird, me being Jewish and all. But Christmas goes beyond faith, I think- it's all about spending time with your family and friends, and just spreading the joy. Even I can appreciate that.

And with it being early December, I didn't have long to wait. Grinning, I looked around the park. Then my eyes widened as I saw another person who was enjoying the park beauty. Or maybe not enjoying it- he looked pretty sour.

Danny. Or, if you care about details, Danny _Phantom_. If Paulina was with me, she'd have had a heart attack.

Walking over quietly, I sat down, leaning against the tree trunk. I couldn't sit beside him- he was way up in a tree, just looking up at the clouds. Either Danny didn't even know I was there, or he was ignoring me. I hoped the first one.

"It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" I remarked quietly, trying to break the ice. I shouldn't have had to, though. I mean, this was Danny! My best friend! Why did I even feel guilty? It's not like kissing Dash was a federal offence, and I haven't even kissed him in the first place. _He _kissed _me_. End of story. But even if I _had _kissed him, Danny shouldn't care _that _much.

Danny's head whipped around, trying to locate who it was who was speaking. Finally, his eyes landed on me. He looked away and back up at the clouds quickly.

"Yeah," Danny replied lightly. "Great day." We sat in awkward silence. See? We can talk to each other about _anything_. Sheesh.

"Look, Danny," I said, sick of silence. It was now or never. "It isn't like what you think. I-" Danny looked back at me angrily.

"I know what I saw, Sam," he replied coldly. "You. Kissing _Dash_. Have I been missing out on something? When did you two stop _hating_ each other, anyway? Or was that all just some pretending thing while you two secretly went out behind my back?" I stared at Danny.

"Danny, this is 9th grade, not the 1600's," I said. "It's not Romeo and Juliette or something. Look, I don't really know what happened, but it's not some conspiracy or anything." Danny just kept looking angry, and I sighed. Man, he was stubborn.

Then something made me look up. And thank god I had.

"Danny! Watch out!" I screamed, knocking him out of the tree and onto the ground.

We were under fire.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom (though that would be pretty cool). DP belongs to Butch Hartman. Nor do I own the song Lovebug, which belongs to the Jonas Brothers. I did change some wordings and leave out some parts, though. (By the way, in the story, the song was written by Dash, not the JB's.)

* * *

Danny fell from the tree just as the branch he had been sitting on was incinerated.

Spitting out a mouthful of grass, Danny choked out, "Sam, what the heck—" Then he looked up, and got a confused look. "Skulker?"

"Give the boy a prize," I muttered, scrambling up. And there he was, hovering a few feet away and holding up a cannon aimed directly at us. _The one he'd almost used to turn Danny into a smoldering pile of ghostly dust_, I thought, shuddering.

Danny shot up, moving so that he was between me and Skulker, like I needed protection. Which I probably did. But seriously, I was no damsel in distress. Who'd saved whom a few moments ago? I stepped forward to be beside him. No way was he taking any hits for me.

"Hey, Skulker," he said, and Skulker leveled his un-human gaze on us. If I were Danny, I wouldn't be challenging someone who had the means to blast a hole right through us. "Didn't you get the notice? This is a park, not a junkyard." I rolled my eyes as Skulker's slits-for-eyes narrowed.

"I did not come here to play villain with you, ghost child," he replied. "As I said before, I have much more pressing matters than to deal with you." Danny faltered for a moment before starting up again. For some weird reason, he finds it even _more _threatening when the ghosts don't want to deal with him.

"Didn't look like that when you almost blasted a whole through my head," Danny replied coldly, forming a ghost ray in his hand. It was getting late, and the eerie green light cast strange shadows on his face, making it all the spookier. I definitely did not want to be Skulker right now. "So get over yourself and tell me what you want."

Skulker laughed, a strange metallic sound. "Relax, whelp." His eyes drifted to me the same way they had on Saturday. I glared back. "I just came on orders to see how your girlfriend's doing." Danny's eyes clouded over as he stepped back, looking down at his boot-clad feet.

"She's not my girlfriend," he said, and then for a moment, it was like I wasn't even there. "And if you've actually done anything the past few days, you'd know that she's found better guys than me, obviously." Ouch. That one was pretty much directed at me, not Skulker. I gave him a pained look. Was _that _what he thought? That I thought that Dash was better than him? Well, Dash was certainly acting better than him right now.

He was acting almost…_jealous_. I almost laughed at that thought. _Jealous?_ Yeah. Right.

Skulker smirked. "Teenagers," he said, rolling his eyes, if that was even possible. "Always with the drama." Then his cold gaze was back on us. "Just get over yourself, Phantom." He nodded to Danny, smirking again. "That's from the Master." Then he sunk into the ground, and out of sight.

We stared at the ground for a few minutes before looking back at each other. The street was pretty much silent for now, and the crickets were the only thing I could hear. Amity Park gets real quiet at night- ever since the recent rise in ghost activity. And with the streetlights flickering- and I swear I could hear a wolf howling- I didn't blame them.

Danny was fuming. "What was that all about?" he snapped. "There he was on Saturday, and now on Monday…and who the heck is 'the Master' anyway?" He didn't give me a breath to answer. "And what does he mean by 'get over myself'?"

I sighed. I didn't really have to deal with an irate Danny a lot, since he was pretty mellow most of the time, but it sure wasn't a picnic.

"Well, you might have overreacted just a little bit—" Now he wheeled on me, and I stumbled back a bit.

"'Overreacted'? Sam, that guy almost blew a whole through me!" I shook my head, getting angry myself.

"Yeah, but other than that, nothing happened," I pointed out, and he just glared at me. Remembering what he'd said before, I snapped, "And what's with the whole 'better guys than me' thing? Since when do you think Dash is _better _than you?"

I'd never seen Danny looking so mad. Even before, when I'd wished I'd never met him, he hadn't been so angry. It was like I'd set off an alarm bell. "If he isn't, then why didn't tell me what was going on? I really did not need to find out by seeing you two make out in the middle of the football field. Especially when I'd come out there to help _you_." I put my hands on my hips, scowling at him.

"I don't remember you saying anything when I actually _needed _helping." He looked away angrily, but didn't say sorry. Ugh. Guys. "And we were not _making out_. For your information, he kissed _me._ End of story." Danny looked hopefully at me, a smile breaking out on his face.

"So you don't like him? At all?" Oh, God. Why did my life have to be so complicated? I bit my lip, not meeting his eyes. His smile turned into a scowl.

"You're kidding me," he muttered, then said to me, "Please tell me this is a joke. You and _Dash Baxter_? I mean, come on, Sam. He's either tricking you or worse, trying to use you." My eyes widened as his green ones bored into me accusingly.

"_Using _me? What is _that _supposed to mean?" I glared at him, poking him in the chest. "Why is it so hard to think that maybe he actually _likes _me? He's not like you think. He's actually really—" Danny snorted, interrupting me.

"It's _Dash Baxter_. Don't you think I know the guy who's beaten up on me pretty much my whole life?" Why wouldn't he just _listen _to me? Danny pushed some of his white hair out of his eyes, looking out at me pleadingly. "I don't want you to get hurt. Sam, Dash is—"

I cut him off with a glare. "Being a whole lot nicer than you are right now," I finished. Maybe Danny _was _just trying to protect me, but I didn't need protecting. And I don't remember him being so hot on my advice when he'd been slobbering over Paulina. "See you later, Danny."

My parents were already going to kill me, but I took the long way home, my anger fueling my quick steps. Why did Danny even _care?_ Yeah, it might be the guy who'd beaten him up, and believe me, I wasn't going to forget it.

But I could change it.

-------

"_You do realize this is the last thing we'll ever do together?"_

"_Count on it."_

Those words echoed in my head as I took the short walk to school the next morning. Usually, I'd walk with Danny and Tucker, but Danny had conveniently taken a different route, probably dragging Tucker with him. I wondered if he'd told Tucker about me "making out" with Dash yet.

And with the words: the thing about it was that we'd totally meant them when we said it. We'd just finished "training" Danny and Tucker, and I think we did and pretty good job all and all. We'd received our metals and looked distastefully at each other, saying what we thought was the absolute truth.

Ha.

Walking through the broad halls of Casper High and the students talking and gossiping all around me, I couldn't help but wonder if Danny was actually _right_. I mean, Dash Baxter: football star, king of Casper High, and closet songwriter? It just didn't fit.

Strolling up to my locker, I found Tucker already leaning on it. Straightening his beret, he glared at me and said, "Cough it up. If Danny won't tell me, you will. What the heck is going on between you two?" Sighing, I moved him away from the locker.

Opening it up, I got a shock. A big one. Taped to the inside of my locker door was as note. Or, rather, a song.

_ Met you for the first time on Sunday_

_ Finally found the missing part of me_

_ I felt so close but you were far away_

_ Left me without anything to say_

_ Now I'm speechless over the edge, I'm just breathless  
I never thought that I'd catch this lovebug again  
Hopeless, head over heels in the moment  
I never thought that I'd get hit by this lovebug again_

_ I can't get your smile out of my mind  
(I can't get you outta my mind)  
I think about your eyes all the time  
You're beautiful but you don't even try  
(You don't even, don't even try)  
Modesty is just so hard to find_

_ Now I'm speechless over the edge, I'm just breathless  
I never thought that I'd catch this lovebug again  
Now I'm hopeless, head over heels in the moment  
I never thought that I'd get hit by this lovebug again_

_ Wow…Lovebug again_

_ Told you I liked songwriting. Like it?_

Now _I _was speechless. Tucker's voice came from over my shoulder. "Either Danny's a _really _good actor, or I've found the problem." I snapped up, slamming my locket shut even though I didn't have any of my books.

"It's nothing," I lied. "It's a, um…English project." Tucker raised an eyebrow at me.

"Uh, Sam, I have English with you, and I'm pretty sure there was nothing about writing a _love song _in it." I brushed past him.

"Extra credit," I called out over my shoulder. I could just imagine his bemused expression as I walked away.

I'm such a liar.

--------

Lunch. It's like the African jungle, high school style.

You know, adults really don't appreciate how predator vs. prey it can get in the cafeteria. There's trying to be first in the lunch line. Getting the last slice of pizza. And don't even get me started on the whole hierarchy of table order.

And as I put my salad on my plate and headed toward my table (the Outcast table, if you really want to know), Danny's glowering look stopped me short. No way did I want to be under _that _glare while I ate. It could wilt even my salad leaves. So I took the empty table by the window.

Which, as it turned out, was not completely empty.

"You're sitting at my table." I looked up at Valerie, who was clutching her paper bag and staring at me like I'd just committed a felon. Which, maybe in Valerie-world, it was.

"Seems like," I said as I glanced around at the other-wise empty table. I wasn't in the mood to argue with her today, and I think she wasn't, either. And figuring how Danny was usually the main point of our arguments, and he was the _least _thing I wanted to talk about, we were sunk in the conversation department.

"Having boyfriend troubles?" I nearly dropped my spork, glaring up at her. He was more her boyfriend than mine. "He's not my boyfriend, Valerie." She arched an eyebrow.

"Mm-hmm. Right." Sheesh. Where had I heard _this _before?

I gave her an irate look. "If he's my boyfriend, then why did you keep hitting on him?" But she just ignored my question, sitting down a little ways beside me and taking a sandwich out of her bag.

"You know, I'm not the enemy here." I wanted to snap back, _Oh, really? _Because, even if she didn't know that I knew, she was a ghost hunter. And I happened to have a best friend who was half-ghost, who she repeatedly tried to _annihilate. _And, though she didn't know this either, the guy she was wailing on was her almost-boyfriend.

Complicated world, isn't it?

"You're an ex-popular girl who used to be just like Paulina and Star, who, you might have noticed, I'm not too fond of." Valerie gave me a reproachful look.

"Yeah, well notice the word _ex_," she replied, rolling her eyes. "'Cause as far as I can see, that part of my life isn't coming back anytime soon." I rolled my eyes, too.

"You seem to be pretty buddy-buddy with Star," I pointed out. Then I got an idea. Trying to sound casual, I said, "Hey, Valerie. Do you remember when Dash became popular?" Maybe I could find a little bit more out about this guy with someone who had been in the A-List.

Valerie looked confused. "Dash? Why do you care about Dash?" I started to make up a hasty excuse when—

"Yeah, why _do _you care about Dash, Sam?"

* * *

Voila. Hoped you liked it. By the way, if anyone has any criticism, constructive or no, I'd love to hear it. I'd like to knowif you think the story is flowing well and if the characters are acting OOC-ish.

Have a nice week!


	9. Chapter 9

Here's the next chapter for Masquerade, where the plot suddenly emerges (Jeez, a plot? _Really?_) and well, the expected tension between Sam and Danny (and, unfortuantely for Sam, Dash.) Enjoy!

* * *

You know those moments when suddenly you just realize that you were wrong about _everything_, and your best friend was actually right all along, and now you just want to jump up and hug him?

Well, how sweet for you. But, for the rest of us, especially me, we'll be content with wanting to strangle our best friends most of the time.

"Danny," I said, grating out the words like they were painful. Valerie just raised an eyebrow. "What a surprise." Actually, not too much. Stalker tendencies much?

Danny's usually twinkling blue eyes were narrowed and cold. "Sam. Trying to turn my _other _friends against me?"

My jaw dropped, but I closed it and smirked, trying to get the best word in here. "Right, Danny. Unlike you, I don't _overreact_, or blow up in other people's faces—" Danny cut me off with some witty remark that would have no doubt left me speechless, but I ignored him and looked around him. I really hoped Tucker wasn't listening in on our, er, _conversation. _Just because he was both of ours' friends, didn't mean he had to be involved in both of ours' arguments.

But nobody was at our table, just Tucker and Danny's lonely trays. My brow creased as I frowned. That was weird.

But my eyes did find Dash a couple of tables away. Dash was frowning, looking like he was thinking hard. (I could just hear Danny snorting: _Dash? Thinking? Who would've guessed?_) But when he glanced up and saw me looking, he grinned and waved.

I grinned back, all the while thinking, _I'm going to kill him._

"Hey, Danny," I said, completely ignoring whatever one-sided conversation he was having with me right now. "Where's Tucker?" He twisted his head to look behind him, his long, messy black hair shifting.

Danny frowned too. "That's weird," he remarked, echoing my thoughts. Valerie shrugged.

"Why is it weird? He probably just went to the bathroom or something." Danny and I exchanged worried glances. Valerie didn't know Tucker like we did. He _always _spent his lunch time gorging himself to the limit with the cafeteria's all-meat buffet, much to my chagrin. Didn't move an inch the whole time—and honestly, I doubt he ever would unless his meat was on fire, or if Tucker himself was.

"Or there's—" Danny was interrupted as a frightened yell echoed from the hallway outside, silencing the whole cafeteria.

"Trouble," Danny and I said at the same time.

-------

A moment later, that all-too-familiar blue mist came out of Danny's mouth. Valerie looked tense as a red-and-black watch on her wrist beeped loud and clear in the quiet air.

Wasn't quiet for long, though. As usual, there was that "huh, what?" feeling, than the startled panic that came just a few seconds after. Perfect for Danny to transform. Ignoring his vendetta against me, Danny grabbed my wrist and ran, pulling me through the door and into the hallway. It was safe in here—teachers would be ushering students through the back door in the cafeteria, and plus; what idiot would run _toward _whatever was making someone scream?

I eyed the doors as the blue and white rings passed over his body, making Fenton into Phantom. Glittering emerald eyes glanced at me. "You're safe in here, right?"

"Don't know why you care," I muttered, but he just flew off toward…well, whatever it was.

You know, I've always kind of wondered how the families of firefighters and soldiers and all the other everyday-heroes feel when they go off to do their job, save the day. I mean, here I was, mad at him as heck, and I was still worried about him. Scowling, I pushed my hands down into my skirt pockets.

Suddenly, I heard a sort of banging sound. I frowned. Probably the fight or something. But there it was again, louder and definitely close to me. Ignoring Danny's advice, I slowly crept along the walls trying to locate the sound. I yanked open three broom closet doors before coming to the last one in the hallway.

_If this one is empty, too,_ I thought, already in a sour mood, _then I'm getting my ears checked._ I yanked it open, and—

"Tucker?" I said, and his eyes widened as he looked up at my startled face. He was bound and gagged, currently all tangled up with a broom. I raised an eyebrow. "Jeez, Tuck. What'd that broom ever do to you?" He just glared at me.

I let out an exasperated sigh. "Alright, alright," I grumbled. Crouching, I quickly unknotted the gag and the ropes. Sheesh. Whoever tied these obviously didn't have a sailor uncle who had, as he constantly reminded me, won the Florida Knot-Tying Competition sixteen years ago.

Well, at least he had a shiny trophy. Or, rather, sixteen of them.

Tucker coughed, shakily standing up. At first it had seemed kind of funny, but looking at Tucker right now, it seemed a little…well, sinister. Sure, this could just be a "friendly" jock trick, but what kind of trick was that?

Plus, Dash was usually the one who did most of the pounding and brainless tricks on Danny and Tucker, and I knew he hadn't done this. Well, at least, song writing and Sam-Manson-kissing Dash hadn't done this.

"Plasmius," he choked out, and my eyes widened as I backed up. "And Skulker. Came and nabbed me while Danny was talking to you." He coughed again. "They're planning something, Sam. I think they're after you, too."

"Talked about that thing that Vlad used on Danny before in Colorado with his mom and all—the Maximum, or something." _Plasmius Maximus,_ I corrected silently. I would've forgotten it too, since he had only used it once as far as I knew, but Danny talked about it sometimes. I guess I would've been worried too if I knew my arch-enemy had something that could completely strip me of all my defenses.

"Danny," I whispered. If Vlad had that…well, who knew what he was already doing to him _right now?_

I gripped Tucker's shoulders. "Try to get into the cafeteria and outside," I advised. "Go out the back door, and you should be with the rest of the student body. You'll be safe there."

Looking at him again, I winced as I saw he had a black eye. Obviously, he had fought back—_Go Tucker!—_but Skulker was, well, Skulker. Tucker just stared at me.

"What are you planning, Sam?" I rolled my eyes.

"On saving my best friend who probably hates me right now," I replied. "Anyway, there you go." I pushed him toward the doors.

"Wait a minute." Tucker chucked a Thermos at me. "Didn't get a chance to use it," he explained. "Get one of them for me, will you?"

I looked at him, grinning, before running toward the front doors. I could hear punches being thrown just outside. Who knew superheroes—and supervillains—could be so loud?

"Oh, believe me," I called over my shoulder, "I will!"

-------

Yeah, that probably was a cheesy exit on my part. But with Danny and Tucker, I'd kind of gotten used to it.

I threw open the doors and skidded to a stop on the pavement. I swept my gaze over the ground, then in the air, where the real fight was.

Vlad was smirking at Danny. "What, Daniel, too tired from our little chat in the Ghost Zone yesterday?" Danny was holding a hand to his side, scowling. I winced as I saw ectoplasm, ghost blood, seeping through the cracks in his hand. "You've barely thrown a punch at me."

My eyes widened. The Ghost Zone? Oh, right. Danny's little _expedition._

Ignoring any common sense I had left, I called up indignantly, "You said you were mapping it out! How could you forget to mention you found _Vlad _on the way?" All three of them froze—Danny and Vlad across from each other, Skulker floating by Vlad's side. Danny had a look of horror on his face, while Vlad and Skulker had twin smirks on their faces.

Danny zoomed down, grabbing my arm. "Sam, you've got to get out of here," he said quickly, and I looked worriedly at a fresh cut on his face. "Plasmius will—"

"Ah, so this is the Samantha Manson I've been hearing so much about." Danny stood in front of me again, like always, and for the first time I didn't mind. Vlad looked more than a little creepy as he floated and bit off the ground, grinning evilly at me and Danny. "I hear you and young Daniel here are quite close."

Danny emitted a low growl as I glared at Vlad, not saying a word. "Stay away from her. And Tucker." Skulker, still high in the here, chuckled.

"A little too late for that, whelp." Danny's face paled.

"What have you done with him?" He looked furious, and I could feel his grip on my arm tighten. "If you've hurt him, if you try to hurt Sam, if you hurt anyone else, I'll—"

I spun Danny around to face me. God, why couldn't he just shoot Vlad already? I'd never understand the whole "witty banter" thing. "Tucker is _fine_," I whispered into his ear, and I could see him relax. "But you're not. We think Vlad and Skulker are up to something. Tucker thinks he has a Plasmius Max—" But I was cut off by the worst sound I could have possible heard at that moment.

The crackling sound of charged electricity mixed with Danny's anguished yells scared me more than I'll ever admit (and you can count on that). He pushed me forward to get me safe and out of the way, and I stumbled, falling to the ground. I watched in horror, my eyes flitting from Plasmius's self-satisfied smirk to Danny as electrical charges ran up and down his body, electrocuting him to the bone. He still hadn't stopped yelling.

Getting over my shock, I lunged for the Plasmius Maximus, trying to get it out of Vlad's hands. He just caught my arm and held it as, unwillingly, the twin rings passed over Danny's body and he collapsed to the ground in human form, passed out.

Vlad looked at his device thoughtfully. "Perhaps I gave him too much for his young body to handle this time," he remarked. "Oh, well. At least he'll shut up for once." I glared at him.

"Let us go," I demanded, and he looked at me, amused. "Aren't you late for your counseling sessions, Vlad?"

Vlad laughed. "Hilarious, really. No wonder Daniel likes you so much. You're practically twins." He glanced at Skulker and let go of my arm, thrusting me at him. "Grab the girl, Skulker, and let's go." His mouth opened into a wide smile, and I shuddered when I saw his fangs. "Now we can finally engage in the second part of my plan."

Skulker glared at him. "I mean, _our _plan, of course."

Great. Swell. Wonderful. Danny was unconscious, probably still hating me. I was being taken hostage by a clearly psychopathic fruitloop, and Tucker was the only one who knew. You know, maybe it would be better if this _was _one of those crappy Romeo and Juliette stories.

"Sam!"

I looked up hopefully, grinning as Skulker, who had been about to fly up, scowled. If I was actually lucky for once, it would be Tucker, waving a Thermos and a Fenton Bazooka in his hands.

Of course, this is my world, where luck and all the good, happy things that happen to normal people don't really exist.

Dash came charging down to us, armed with—well, his ferocious face expressions. "Let her go!" he demanded, stopping right in front of me. _Conveniently forgetting Danny,_ I acknowledged.

I glanced dubiously between Vlad Plasmius and Skulker. "Uh, Dash," I said in a low voice, "I appreciate the effort and bravery and all, but I don't think there's much you can do right now. Why don't you just go to the Fentons and—"

But clearly, my opinion on these things doesn't matter much, because Dash ignored me and stepped up close to Skulker, who was just looking rather amused.

"So, the whelp's girlfriend is rather popular," he acknowledged, and I stared at him. "Stand down, you little—"

Of course, Dash took that as an opportunity to punch Skulker right in the face.

I winced, expecting Dash to howl in pain and then Skulker to send him to kingdom-come. Blinking, I watched as a small green charge passed from Dash's fist to Skulker, making the mechanical "wonder" yelp in surprise as he was shocked. He probably didn't even notice the huge dent in his face.

I didn't waste any time, yanking my arm free and grabbing Dash's. I looked around desperately for Danny and Vlad, but they were no where to be seen.

I stopped still, trying to search every cranny with my eyes and dang-it, _find them_, but Dash just ran and pulled me through the doors, collapsing against them when they closed.

"You know, I really didn't need saving," I said, straightening up, just making it for the point. Another thing Danny and Dash were in common—_overprotective_. "My plan was working just fine!" Or at least it would've, if I'd actually thought of one yet.

Dash straightened up. "Yeah, I know." I blinked. Whoa. I'd expected him to be demanding gratitude, or just stalk off angrily. He actually _agreed?_ "It's just kind of scary to see your girlf--, I mean your _friend _being kidnapped by some metal ghost with weirdo flaming hair." I shrugged uncomfortably.

Dash's face brightened. "Though it did kind of remind me of Ember." I rolled my eyes.

"And Sam?"

"Yeah, what?"

"I was thinking about, uh, yesterday, and well, I wanted to tell you that—"

"Maybe later," I interrupted hastily. Right now, all I could think, or should be thinking, was _save Danny. _"How did you _do _that? You know, the weird green electricity shock?" I demanded, putting my hands on my hips. Because, seriously. _Not _natural.

Dash sighed. "Few days ago, me and Kwan were stuffing Foley into his locker." He lifted up his trademark letter jacket to reveal the all-familiar green-and-white metal belt. "We found this in there, and since he wouldn't fit, I took it out and kept it." He shrugged sheepishly under my withering glare.

"Ignoring that," I muttered. "But we've got to save Danny!"

Dash looked confused. "Who? Fenturd?" He looked kind of angry at the thought. "Why would I want to—" I gave him another death glare.

"You don't have to," I replied, sighing. "But I do. Where's Tucker?"

"Oh, yeah! His parents came by and picked him up as soon as they heard." I growled. Well, there's goes my help from him. And with Jazz out on a college-scouting trip…

"Looks like I'm alone on this one," I muttered to myself, but Dash heard it and gulped.

"You're going to face _them?_ By _yourself?_"

"Don't really have much choice. I've got to get him back."

"Then…" Dash looked like he'd just swallowed a lemon. "Then I'm coming with you. We'll have a better chance, together." He gave me a huge grin, pumping his fist into the air. "Field trip!"

I let out an exasperated sigh. This was just swell—me and Dash, out on a quest to defeat Plasmius and Skulker and save Danny, only armed with a Thermos and a Specter Deflector. Oh, and let's not forget the fact that it was me and Dash.

Oh, joy.


End file.
